Reduction In Traffic Fatalities Research Articles

Mandatory seatbelt laws and traffic fatalities: A reassessment

AbstractUsing data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System for the period 1983–1997, Cohen and Einav (Review of Economics and Statistics 2003; 85[4]: 828–843) found that mandatory seatbelt laws were associated with a 4–6% reduction in traffic fatalities among motor vehicle occupants. After successfully replicating their two‐way fixed effects estimates, we (1) add 22 years of data (1998–2019) to capture additional seatbelt policy variation and observe a longer post‐treatment period, (2) employ the interaction‐weighted estimator proposed by Sun and Abraham (2021) to address potential bias due to heterogeneous and dynamic treatment effects, and (3) estimate event‐study models to investigate pre‐treatment trends and explore lagged post‐treatment effects. Consistent with Cohen and Einav (2003), our updated estimates show that primary seatbelt laws are associated with a 5 to 9% reduction in fatalities among motor vehicle occupants. Estimated effects of secondary seatbelt laws are smaller in magnitude and sensitive to model choice.

Review Paper on Speed Reduction Methods to Promote Road Safety and to Save Lives

Abstract: The traditional and important road safety benefits of lower vehicle speeds include saving lives and reducing the impact and likelihood of crashes. However, speed reduction has important additional benefits that increase the quality of life for neighborhoods and bigger urban areas, but also for society at large. Speed reduction measures fall into the categories: direct – infrastructure, vehicle technology and enforcement and indirect – signage, education and publicity. Similar a small decrease in average vehicle speed across a road network will lead to a considerable reduction in traffic fatalities and the severity of injuries. In this paper, study was carried out on types of speed reduction infrastructure and their utility to reduce the speed of vehicle. High Speed of vehicle get uncontrolled on curve, so in this paper more attention given to application of speed reducer infrastructure on curve.

Machine Learning for Road Traffic Accident Improvement and Environmental Resource Management in the Transportation Sector

Despite the measures put in place in different countries, road traffic fatalities are still considered one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Thus, the reduction of traffic fatalities or accidents is one of the contributing factors to attaining sustainability goals. Different factors such as the geometric structure of the road, a non-signalized road network, the mechanical failure of vehicles, inexperienced drivers, a lack of communication skills, distraction and the visual or cognitive impairment of road users have led to this increase in traffic accidents. These factors can be categorized under four headings that are: human, road, vehicle factors and environmental road conditions. The advent of machine learning algorithms is of great importance in analysing the data, extracting hidden patterns, predicting the severity level of accidents and summarizing the information in a useful format. In this study, three machine learning algorithms for classification, such as Decision Tree, LightGBM and XGBoost, were used to model the accuracy of road traffic accidents in the UK for the year 2020 using their default and hyper-tuning parameters. The results show that the high performance of the Decision Tree algorithm with default parameters can predict traffic accident severity and provide reference to the critical variables that need to be monitored to reduce accidents on the roads. This study suggests that preventative strategies such as regular vehicle technical inspection, traffic policy strengthening and the redesign of vehicle protective equipment be implemented to reduce the severity of road accidents caused by vehicle characteristics.

Evaluation of the national sobriety checkpoints program in Mexico: a difference-in-difference approach with variation in timing of program adoption

BackgroundUp to a third of global road traffic deaths, and one in five in Mexico, are attributable to alcohol. In 2013, Mexico launched a national sobriety checkpoints program designed to reduce drink-driving in municipalities with high rates of alcohol-related collisions. Our study measured the association between the sobriety checkpoints program and road traffic mortality rates in 106 urban municipalities.MethodsWe leveraged data from the Salud Urbana en America Latina (SALURBAL), which compiles health and environmental data from cities with over 100,000 residents. Death data from 2005 to 2019 (i.e., outcome) were from official vital statistics. Among 106 Mexican municipalities defined as priority areas for intervention, 54 adopted the program (i.e., treatment) in 2013, 16 municipalities did so in 2014, 16 in 2015, 10 in 2016, 7 in 2017, and 2 in 2019. We used a difference-in-difference approach with inverse probability weighting adapted to a context where program adoption is staggered over time.ResultsThere was a 12.3% reduction in road traffic fatalities per 10,000 passenger vehicles in the post-treatment period compared to the pre-treatment period (95% Confidence Interval, − 17.8; − 6,5). There was a clear trend of decline in mortality in municipalities that adopted the program (vs. comparison) particularly after year 2 of the program.ConclusionsIn this study of 106 municipalities in Mexico, we found a 12.3% reduction in traffic fatalities associated with the adoption of sobriety checkpoints. There was a clear trend indicating that this association increased over time, which is consistent with sustained changes in drink-driving behavior. These findings provide support and insight for efforts to implement and evaluate the impact of sobriety checkpoint policies across Latin America.

A new alcohol-related traffic law, a further reduction in traffic fatalities? Analyzing the case of Turkey

Background: In June 2013, an alcohol-related traffic law took effect in Turkey. The law 6487 introduced administrative fines for not respecting blood alcohol concentration limits, health warning messages on alcohol containers (bottles, cans), and prohibited the sale of alcohol beverages in retail facilities between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.. This article examines how this law is associated with traffic fatality variation. Methods: Data from the Turkish Statistical Institute for the 2008–2019 period were analyzed. Outcomes were traffic fatality rates per 100,000 population and 10,000 motor vehicles. Exposure variable was the presence of law 6487. Alcohol, tobacco, and related beverages’ household expenditure, unemployment rate, number of health professionals, number of crashes, and lags of the outcomes represented control variables. A time-series cross-regional fixed effect model was applied. Results: Empirical estimates suggest that the law 6487 was associated with a reduction of 15% (Incidence Rate Ratio (IRR) 0.85, 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 082, 0.94) in the traffic fatality per population rate and with a reduction of 14% (IRR: 0.86 (95% CI: 0.78, 0.92) in the traffic fatality per motor-vehicle rate. After 6 years of its implementation, this intervention was associated with an absolute reduction of 1519 (95% reduction interval: 1177, 1810) traffic fatalities. Conclusions: Our research emphasizes that legislation with direct and indirect measures targeting driving under the influence of alcohol (DUIA) may be related to traffic fatalities reduction. Practical applications: This finding has important implications for policy and future research in contexts in which alcohol consumption is low such is in Turkey. Future research should seek to identify mechanisms that explain how laws are ultimately associated with DUIA variation.

Safety and Economic Evaluation of the Highway Safety Improvement Program: Is there a Return on Investment?

The Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) is a Federal-aid program aimed at achieving a significant reduction in traffic fatalities and serious injuries on all public roads. Projects are selected based on the potential reduction of severe crashes and the greatest return on investment. In this paper, a step-by-step process and methodology were developed to evaluate HSIP projects. The process and method were implemented to evaluate HSIP projects executed in Wisconsin between 2013 and 2019. Safety effectiveness evaluation and economic assessment were conducted using the Empirical Bayes (EB) method. Crash cost benefit of implemented projects was quantified to find the benefit–cost (B/C) for a horizon of 10 years and observed period of analysis. With data available from project evaluations, Crash Modification Factors (CMFs) for common treatments were developed. A total of 64 HSIP projects were evaluated. B/C ratios greater than one were observed in 43 projects. For a 10-year horizon, the aggregated B/C ratio was 2.71. Alternatively, using the observed data during the study period of each project, the observed overall crash cost benefit was equal to $72 million which corresponds to a B/C ratio of 1.10 (benefit already surpassed project costs at 3–5 years). Approximately 536 crashes were prevented which translates to seven lives saved, 380 injuries prevented, and avoided 1,067 property damage losses.

Fatality risk analysis of vulnerable road users from an Indian city

Introduction: Road traffic fatalities are externalities associated with urbanization, motorization, and road infrastructure development. Globally, low and middle-income countries contribute to more than 90% share of total accidents. Bengaluru is India's fourth-largest populous city and has exponential vehicle growth, similar to other cities in a developing economy. Lack of safe road infrastructure to support this growth leads to an increased risk for road users resulting in more road accidents. Method: It is crucial to identify the vulnerable road users (VRUs) and assess the fatality risk that would help policymakers adopt adequate measures to reduce their risk. Bengaluru city accident data from First Information Reports (FIRs) for seven years is collected and analyzed for the current study. The Who-hit-whom matrices are developed for identifying VRUs. Further, a risk-based model is developed to estimate fatality risk, followed by sensitivity analysis for different transport scenarios. Results: The main results from the study are: 1) Increase in fatalities are observed with increase in motorization 2) Pedestrians and two-wheelers are the most vulnerable road user with highest risk 3) Fatality risk scenario analysis showed a maximum reduction in traffic fatalities with increased public transportation mode share as motorization level increase 4) Increasing the proportion of distance traveled by cycle helped in further decreasing the number of fatalities in high bus scenario. Conclusion: All the results favor sustainable transport policies for the city in reducing the number of road user fatalities. Practical applications: In light of accident investigation, the paper provides insight into sustainable transport strategies for transport decision-makers to enhance the safety of VRUs.

Health impacts of E-Scooters sharing systems in Atlanta and Portland, USA

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Since 2017 electric kick scooters (E-Scoters) have been expanded across cities around the globe. E-Scooter share systems provide a micro-mobility solution in urban areas. To our knowledge, no previous studies have quantified the health risks and benefits of E-Scooters. METHODS: This study followed a quantitative health impact assessment approach, to estimate the risks and benefits of e-scooter sharing systems. Specifically, we quantified the health impacts related to three exposures: physical activity, air pollution, and traffic incidents. We analyzed E-scooter systems, in Atlanta, Georgia, and Portland, Oregon. Input data on transport, traffic safety, air quality, and physical activity were collated from public records and scientific publications. We modeled the health impacts on adult users related to mortality, disease incidence, disability-adjusted life years, and health economic impacts (related to morbidity and mortality). RESULTS:In Atlanta,15,792 E-scooter trips were made each day. From those 42% substituted car trips, 48% walk trips, 4% bike trips, and 2% transit trips. Among all travelers, we estimated an increment of 3.4 million USD in health economic impacts of E-Scooters, mainly derived by the increment in traffic injuries. In Portland, 4,885 E-scooter trips were made each day, with a similar mode shift than in Atlanta. Among Portland travelers, we estimated a reduction of 1.5 million USD in health economic impacts of E-Scooters, mainly derived from the reduction in traffic fatalities. When we disaggregate the analysis by mode of transport, the substitution of public transit, bike or walk trips by E-Scooter resulted in more health risks, and the substitution of car trips by E-Scooter resulted as a health benefit. CONCLUSIONS:E-scooters implementation will benefit from a health lens. Depending on the modal shift, and the traffic safety measures implemented around E-Scooters, this micro-mobility solution could be a health risk or benefit. This study supports the E-scooter implementation that prioritizes car trip substitution. KEYWORDS: Transport, E-Scooter, Urban health, Health Impact Assessment, Traffic incidents, Air Pollution

Macroscopic Safety Requirements for Highly Automated Driving

The common expectation for highly automated vehicles (HAVs) is that an introduction will lead to increased road safety and a reduction in traffic fatalities—at least in relation to the mileage. However, quantizing the safety requirements is still in discussion. This paper analyzes the risk acceptance in other fields and applies the safety level on today’s traffic to derive references for acceptable risks. The focus is on macroscopic safety requirements, meaning accident rates per mileage, and not the behavior in individual driving situations. It was concluded that the acceptable risk varies according to the group involved and with the field share of automated vehicles. Increased safety of conventional driving in the future could lead to higher requirements as well. We also point out that it is not guaranteed that the given acceptable risk levels will also accepted by the user, because factors other than the accident statistics are relevant. However, as none of these risk levels can be proven before introduction, the monitoring of vehicles in the field is suggested. Despite increased research efforts in safety validation, uncertainty surrounding the safety of HAVs will remain at the time of introduction. Different introduction and risk management strategies are briefly introduced.

US Traffic Fatalities, 1985–2014, and Their Relationship to Medical Marijuana Laws

To determine the association of medical marijuana laws (MMLs) with traffic fatality rates. Using data from the 1985-2014 Fatality Analysis Reporting System, we examined the association between MMLs and traffic fatalities in multilevel regression models while controlling for contemporaneous secular trends. We examined this association separately for each state enacting MMLs. We also evaluated the association between marijuana dispensaries and traffic fatalities. On average, MML states had lower traffic fatality rates than non-MML states. Medical marijuana laws were associated with immediate reductions in traffic fatalities in those aged 15 to 24 and 25 to 44 years, and with additional yearly gradual reductions in those aged 25 to 44 years. However, state-specific results showed that only 7 states experienced post-MML reductions. Dispensaries were also associated with traffic fatality reductions in those aged 25 to 44 years. Both MMLs and dispensaries were associated with reductions in traffic fatalities, especially among those aged 25 to 44 years. State-specific analysis showed heterogeneity of the MML-traffic fatalities association, suggesting moderation by other local factors. These findings could influence policy decisions on the enactment or repealing of MMLs and how they are implemented.

Determinants of road traffic safety: New evidence from Australia using state-space analysis

This paper examines the determinants of road traffic crash fatalities in Queensland for the period 1958–2007 using a state-space time-series model. In particular, we investigate the effects of policies that aimed to reduce drink-driving on traffic fatalities, as well as indicators of the economic environment that may affect exposure to traffic, and hence affect the number of accidents and fatalities. The results show that the introduction of a random breath testing program in 1988 was associated with a 11.3% reduction in traffic fatalities; its expansion in 1998 was associated with a 26.2% reduction in traffic fatalities; and the effect of the “Safe4life” program, which was introduced in 2004, was a 14.3% reduction in traffic fatalities. Reductions in economic activity are also associated with reductions in road fatalities: we estimate that a one percent increase in the unemployment rate is associated with a 0.2% reduction in traffic fatalities.

What affects annual changes in traffic safety? A macroscopic perspective in Virginia

IntroductionVirginia saw a 20% reduction in traffic fatalities in 2008, an unprecedented annual reduction since 1950, and safety stakeholders in Virginia were intrigued about what caused such large a reduction and more generally what affects traffic safety from a macroscopic perspective. MethodThis study attempted to find factors associated with such a reduction using historical data of Virginia. Specifically, the study related 18 factors to seven traffic safety measures. ResultsIn terms of annual changes, the study found that typical crash exposures were not generally associated with the seven measures, while two economic indicators (unemployment rate and U.S. Consumer Price Index [CPI]) were strongly associated with most of them. ConclusionsAnnual changes in the CPI and unemployment rate account for about half of the annual changes in total and fatal crash counts, respectively. On average, a 1 point increase in CPI and a 1% increase in the unemployment rate are associated with about 2,500 fewer traffic crashes and about 40 fewer fatal crashes annually in Virginia, respectively.

Health Impact Assessment of Public Bicycle Schemes in Ireland

Introduction: The implementation of public bicycle schemes (PBS) in Dublin has doubled the rate of bicycle trips in the city. In 2014 three other cities in Ireland (Cork, Galway and Limerick) have proposed to implement a new PBS to increase the cycling trips in the cities. Objective: Assess the health risks and benefits of public bicycle schemes in Ireland. Methods: We conducted a Health impact assessment, creating two different scenarios with increases of bike trips. The primary outcome measure was all-cause mortality related to the exposure of travellers to physical activity, air pollution to particulate matter <2.5 µm (PM2.5), and road traffic fatality. We developed two different scenarios 1) Doubling the levels of cycling trips in the city or 2) Attain 5% of trips by bicycle in the city. The secondary outcome was a change in emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2). Results: The annual numbers of deaths avoided related with scenario 1 (doubling the cycling trips) were 1.17 in Dublin, 0.06 in Cork, 0.11 in Limerick and 0.18 in Galway 0.18. Scenario 2(attain 5% of cycling trips) also produced annual health benefits of 1.27 deaths avoided in Dublin, 0.52 in Cork, 0.45 in Limerick and 0.22 in Galway. The scenario 2 reduced between 116,661 to 756,761 (kg/ year) of CO2 emissions in the four cities analyzed. Conclusions: Public bicycle schemes in Ireland can produce health benefits. The most benefit of these PBS come from the increment of physical activity and the reduction of traffic fatalities between the travellers. Also these policies can help to reduce green house gas emissions.

Explaining Chile's Traffic Fatality and Injury Reduction for 2000–2012

Objectives: The objective of the current study is to determine the contribution of Chile's 2005 traffic law reform, police enforcement, and road investment infrastructure to the reduction of traffic fatalities and severe injuries from 2000 to 2012.Methods: Analyses based on structural equation models were carried out using a unique database merging aggregate administrative data from several Chilean public institutions. The sample was balanced (13 regions, over 13 years; N = 169). Dependent variables were rates of traffic fatality (total, drivers, passengers, and pedestrians), severe injuries, and total number of crashes per vehicle fleet. Independent variables were (1) traffic law reform, (2) police enforcement, and (3) road infrastructure investment. Oil prices, alcohol consumption, proportion of male population 15–24 years old, unemployment, years’ effects and regions’ effects, and lagged dependent variables were entered as control variables.Results: Empirical estimates from the structural equation models suggest that the enactment of the traffic law reform is significantly associated with a 7% reduction of pedestrian fatalities. This association is entirely mediated by the positive association the law had with increasing police enforcement and reducing alcohol consumption. In turn, police enforcement is significantly associated with a direct decrease in total fatalities, driver fatalities, passenger fatalities, and pedestrian fatalities by 17%, 18%, 8%, and 60%, respectively. Finally, road infrastructure investment is significantly associated with a direct reduction of 11% in pedestrian fatalities, and the number of total crashes significantly mediates the effect of road infrastructure investment on the reduction of severe injuries. Tests of sensitivity indicate these effects and their statistical significance did not vary substantively with alternative model specifications.Conclusions: Results suggest that traffic law reform, police enforcement, and road infrastructure investment have complex interwoven effects that can reduce both traffic fatalities and severe injuries. Though traffic reforms are ultimately designed to change road user behaviors at large, it is also important to acknowledge that legislative changes may require institutional changes—that is, intensification of police enforcement—and be supported by road infrastructure investment, in order to effectively decrease traffic fatalities and injuries. Furthermore, depending on how road safety measures are designed, coordinated, and implemented, their effects on different types of road users vary. The case of Chile illustrates how the diffusion of road safety practices globally promoted by the World Health Organization and World Bank, particularly in 2004, can be an important influence to enhance national road safety practices.

The effects of random breath testing and lowering the minimum legal drinking age on traffic fatalities in Australian states

ObjectiveThis study aims to apply time series analysis techniques to examine the effects of random breath testing (RBT) on three age-specific traffic fatalities in four Australian states while considering the...

Impact of Texting Laws on Motor Vehicular Fatalities in the United States

Using a panel study design, we examined the effects of different types of texting bans on motor vehicular fatalities. We used the Fatality Analysis Reporting System and a difference-in-differences approach to examine the incidence of fatal crashes in 2000 through 2010 in 48 US states with and without texting bans. Age cohorts were constructed to examine the impact of these bans on age-specific traffic fatalities. Primarily enforced laws banning all drivers from texting were significantly associated with a 3% reduction in traffic fatalities in all age groups, and those banning only young drivers from texting had the greatest impact on reducing deaths among those aged 15 to 21 years. Secondarily enforced restrictions were not associated with traffic fatality reductions in any of our analyses.

Traffic accidents, deaths and alcohol consumption

The main goal of this article is to analyse the relationship existing among prices of alcoholic beverages, alcohol consumption and traffic fatalities for the Spanish Autonomous Communities during the time interval 1998 to 2002. Among the main results, we highlight a positive correlation between alcohol consumption and traffic mortality rate. Basically, governments implement two kinds of policies to reduce the traffic mortality rate. One is oriented to control the supply of alcohol by increasing alcohol taxes. The other is oriented to preserve traffic security, increasing the number of sanctions for traffic rule infraction. We find evidence that both policies exert a positive influence in the reduction of traffic fatalities. There is no empirical evidence to indicate that being a novice driver increases the tendency to be involved in a mortal traffic accident.

Changes in the Law vs. Changes in the Penalties: An Application to Blood Alcohol Content Limits

This paper investigates the impact of lowered BAC limits on alcohol related traffic fatalities. Unlike previous studies that find significant reductions in traffic fatalities after legal limits are reduced, this paper shows that once controlling explicitly for enforcement efforts and the severity of penalties the impact of lowered BAC limits is insignificant. This study is important because national legislation was passed in 2000 requiring all states to have a legal limit of 0.08 BAC by 2004. At the time, proponents of the legislation claimed an estimated 600 lives would be saved nation-wide because of the new legal limits. This study shows that this estimate was most likely overstated.

Causes and Valuation of Fatalities Saved Under the 1974 Energy Crises: A Case Study of California

During the first six months of 1974, California experienced a significant reduction in traffic fatalities compared to the same period of 1973. There are numerous reasons that account for the reduction. Some can be identified and some cannot. A major factor of course is the serious fuel shortage that occurred during the period. Six months data now have become available, and it is possible to analyse the reasons underlying the reduction. This paper focuses on two questions. First, what impact did each of the various factors have; and second, what is the economic value associated with the reduction in fatalities.